ALANGALANG, Leyte — President Rodrigo R. Duterte confirmed on Friday that Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol is leaving his cabinet post to lead the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).

This was announced by Duterte in his 38-minute speech during the inauguration of the Chen Yi Agventures Rice Processing Center (CYA-RPC) in Mudburon village, Alangalang, Leyte on Friday night.

“But I’d like to just also mention that si Secretary Piñol will be leaving the agriculture portfolio. Hirap ako sa Mindanao because we have created a new political entity there, the BOL (Bangsamoro Organic Law) or BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao), for that matter as it is known today,” Duterte told Chen Yi workers, local government officials, and farmers.

The autonomous region, inaugurated last March 29, is led by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, the interim caretaker government until regional leaders take over in 2022.

The President said the slow progress since the creation of BARMM had prompted him to pick a “point man there in the likes of Secretary Piñol” to help fully develop Mindanao.

Created in 2010, MinDA serves as Mindanao’s lead agency in coordinating and integrating development efforts that bring about the accelerated socio-economic development of Mindanao.

“With the changing political horizon there, we have to do what we promised to the Moro people. We have for so many years been at war. We have troubles there before the BARMM,” Duterte added.

At least 56 local government units in Eastern Visayas are ready for online filing of business application and processing, the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) regional office here has reported.

At least 56 local government units in Eastern Visayas are ready for online filing of business application and processing, the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) regional office here has reported.

The towns of San Roque, Northern Samar and San Juan, Southern Leyte have started using the DICT cloud-based electronic Business Permit and Licensing System (eBPLS), a software for business application and processing.

San Roque, Northern Samar is the first local government in the entire Visayas area to use the system, said Ramil Jeff Taboso of DICT regional office in a presentation at the Regional Development Council committee on Monday.

“This system implements a standard business process flow for online processing of business permits and therefore shortens the processing time and provides up-to-date information on the status of an application to the business,” Taboso said.

The local government units with ongoing data build-up for system implementation are Alangalang, Burauen, Palompon, and Tanauan in Leyte; Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte; Balangiga, Can-avid, and Dolores in Eastern Samar.

About 48 areas have been identified as compliant with the online e-readiness survey, which gauges the preparedness of local governments to embrace ICT as a strategic tool for streamlining their business processes.

In Northern Samar province, these areas are Rosario, Lavezares, San Isidro, Pambujan, San Vicente, Bobon, Catarman, Laoang, and Palapag.

The new eBPLS software will enable compliance with the revised service standards of the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 01 issued in 2016 signed by officials of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Interior and Local Government.

The Memorandum specified that a single or unified business application form shall be used in processing new applications for business permits and renewals consolidating all the information on a business registrant needed by various local government departments.

It also set out limitations on the documentary requirements for application submission or new business registration and for license renewal for existing businesses and tries to prevent situations where applicants have to submit the same documents multiple times to different government departments.

Under the system, the target processing time for new business permit applications is one to two days and one day for renewals.

The RDC asked the DICT to report on eBPLS status as they plan to tap the same system in coming up with centralized and standardized data gathering from national government agencies. (PNA)

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has identified 284 villages in the Eastern Visayas region as election hotspots, citing intense political rivalries, threats of armed rebels, and violence committed by criminal groups.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has identified 284 villages in the Eastern Visayas region as election hotspots, citing intense political rivalries, threats of armed rebels, and violence committed by criminal groups.

PNP-8 (Eastern Visayas) Director Chief Supt. Gilberto Cruz said in a press briefing Friday night that they identified these areas in consultation with other security agencies, and also based on the parameters set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Northern Samar has the most number of areas on the watch list with 114, followed by Samar (82), Eastern Samar (60), and Leyte (28).

“With only a few days left before the polls, the PNP is fine-tuning measures to ensure the safety and security of the elections. Rest assured that we will be extending our best efforts in order to uphold the integrity of Barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) elections,” Cruz told reporters.

“These areas will be closely monitored. We also appeal to the public to be vigilant at all times to prevent unscrupulous individuals and other lawless elements from taking advantage of the election period,” he said.

Of the total, 185 are classified as areas of immediate concern and 99 are categorized as areas of concern, said Cruz.

The number is 6.5 percent of the 4,390 villages in the region’s six provinces.

Based on Comelec Resolution No. 10077, a village is labeled an area of concern if it has a history of violent political rivalries. A community is tagged as an area of immediate concern if there are serious threats posed by the New People’s Army, private armed groups, and terrorists. (PNA)

Three fishermen from Eastern Samar province have been reported missing while thousands fled their homes as Tropical Storm Urduja continues to batter Eastern Visayas region Saturday.

In a report from the Regional Disaster and Risk Reduction and Management Council, the three missing fishermen were identified as Alfredo Berroja from Balangiga town, Rogelio Gamalo from Lawaan, and Pepito Gacho, Jr. also from Lawaan town.

The fishermen went off to sea on Dec. 13 despite advice from the Philippine Coast Guard.

Office of the Civil Defense Regional Director Edgar Posadas said there has been no contact from them for three days.

Flooding and landslide have displaced 94,904 persons in Eastern Samar, Leyte, and Samar provinces, according to RDRRMC.

More than 38,000 persons moved to evacuation centers due to rising flood waters triggered by three days of heavy rains in the region. Of the number, 32,262 are in Eastern Samar, 2,808 in Samar, 2,856 in Northern Samar, and 472 in Leyte.

Severe flooding has been reported in several villages in Calbiga, Basey, Marabut, San Jose de Buan, Jiabong, Pinabacdao, San Jorge, Sta. Rita, and Talalora in Samar; Tacloban City, Carigara, Ormoc City, Palo, Tanauan, Sta. Fe, Alangalang, and Matalom in Leyte.

The cancellation of sea trip by the Philippine Coast Guard has stranded 2,093 passengers in the ports of Isabel and Bato in Leyte, Liloan and San Ricardo in Southern, and San Isidro and Allen in Northern Samar.

Landslides have been reported along major highways in Tacloban, Matag-ob, Babatngon, and San Miguel in Leyte; Catbalogan City, Daram, Sta. Rita in Samar; Llorente, Giporlos, San Julian, and Maydolong in Eastern Samar; Maasin City and Liloan in Southern Leyte.

In Tacloban, a mother and her child were seriously injured due to landslides.

Tropical Storm Urduja is expected to make landfall over samar islands Saturday afternoon as it continues to move westward closer to Northern Samar-Eastern Samar area.

The center of Tropical Storm Urduja was estimated at 125 kilometers east northeast of Borongan City in Eastern Samar.

The storm has a maximum sustained winds of 80 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 95 kph, moving west at 10 kph.

Tacloban Congresswoman Yedda Marie Romualdez knows how to choose her scholars well. The politiko felt like a proud mother as she found out that one of her scholars, Jelwyn Rose Denalo, graduated with Latin honors from the Visayas State University in Alangalang.

Romualdez knew of the good news through a thank-you letter from the smart lady, which had the politiko feeling all emotional. Denalo also brought home other awards and medals apart from her laude commendation.